out his Wife's Inclination, he gives her Folly Motion and Advantage, and now fhe's going to my Wife, and Falstaff's Boy with her. A Man may hear this Shower fing in the Wind; and Falstaff's Boy with her! Good Plots; they are laid, and our revolted Wives fhare Damnation together. Well, I will take him, then torture my Wife, pluck the borrowed Vail of Modefty from the fo feeming Mistress Page, divulge Page himself for a fecure and wilful Acteon, and to thefe violent Proceedings all my Neighbours shall cry aim. The Clock gives me my Qu, and my Affurance bids me fearch; there I fhall find Falstaff: I fhall be rather praised for this than mocked; for it is as pofitive as the Earth is firm, that Falstaff is there I will go.

:

Enter Page, Shallow, Slender, Hoft, Evans and Caius.
Shal. Page, &c. Well met, Mr. Ford.

Ford. Truft me, a good Knot: I have good Cheer at home, and I pray you all go with me.

Shal. I muft excufe my felf, Mr. Ford.

Slen. And fo muft I, Sir;

We have appointed to dine with Mistress Anne,
And I would not break with her for more Mony

Than I'll fpeak of.

Shal. We have linger'd about a Match between Anne Page and my Coufin Slender, and this Day we shall have our Anfwer.

Slen. I hope I have your good Will, Father Page.

Page. You have, Mr. Slender, I ftand wholly for you; but my Wife, Master Doctor, is for you altogether.

Caius. Ay, be gar, and de Maid is love-a-me: My Nurfha-Quickly tell me fo mush.

Hoft. What fay you to young Mr. Fenton? he capers, he dances, he has Eyes of Youth, he writes Verfes, he fpeaks Holy-Day, he fmells April and May, he will carry't, he will carry't, 'tis in his Buttons, he will carry't.

Page. Not by my Confent, I promise you: The Gentleman is of no having, he kept Company with the wild Prince, and Poinz; he is of too high a Region, he knows too much; no, he shall not knit a Knot in his Fortunes, with the Finger of my Subftance, If he take her, let him take her fimply; the Wealth I have waits on my Confent, and my Confent goes not that way.

t

Ford.

Ford. I beseech you heartily, fome of you go home with me to Dinner; befides your Cheer you fhall have Sport; I will fhew you a Monfter. Mr. Doctor you fhall go, fo fhall you Mr. Page, and you Sir Hugh.

Shal. Well, fare you well:

We shall have the freer Wooing at Mr. Page's.
Caius. Go home, John Rugby, I come anon.

Hoft. Farewel, my Hearts; I will to my honeft Knight, Falstaff, and drink Canary with him.

Ford. I think I fhall drink in Pipe-Wine first with him: I'll make him dance. Will you go, Gentles?

All. Have with you to fee this Monster.

[Exeunt.

Enter Mistress Ford, Mistress Page, and Servants with

a Basket.

Mrs. Ford. What John? what Robert?

Mrs. Page. Quickly, quickly? Is the Buck-basket-
Mrs. Ford. I warrant. What Robin, I fay.

Mrs. Page. Come, come, come.

Mrs. Ford. Here, fet it down.

Mrs. Page. Give your Men the Charge, we must be brief. Mrs. Ford. Marry, as I told you before, John and Robert, be ready here hard-by in the Brew-Houfe, and when I fuddenly call you, come forth, and, without any pause or staggering, take this Basket on your Shoulders; that done, trudge with it in all hafte, and carry it among the Whitfters in Datchet-Mead, and there empty it in the muddy Ditch, close by the Thames fide.

Mrs. Page. You will do it?

(rection. Mrs. Ford. I ha' told them over and over; they lack no DiBe gone, and come when you are call'd.

Mrs. Page. Here comes little Robin.

Enter Robin.

Mrs. Ford. How now, my Eyas-Musket, what News with you?

Rob. My Mafter, Sir John, is come in at your Back-door, Miftrefs Ford, and requests your Company.

Mrs. Page. You little Jack-a-lent, have you been true

to us?

Rob.

Rob. Ay, I'll be fworn; my Mafter knows not of your being here, and hath threaten'd to put me into everlasting Liberty, if I tell you of it; for he fwears he'll turn me a

way.

Mrs. Page. Thou'rt a good Boy; this Secrecy of thine fhall be a Tailor to thee, and fhall make thee a new Doublet and Hofe. I'll go hide me.

Mrs. Ford. Do fo; go tell thy Mafter I am alone; Miftrefs Page, remember you your Qu.

[Ex. Robin. Mrs. Page. I warrant thee; if I do not act it, hiss me.

[Exit Mrs. Page. Mrs. Ford. Go to then; we'll ufe this unwholesome Humidity, this grofs watry Pumpion, we'll teach him to know Turtles from Jays.

Enter Falftaff.

Fal. Have I caught thee, my heav'nly Jewel? Why, now let me die; for I have liv'd long enough: This is the Period of my Ambition; O this blessed Hour!

Mrs. Ford. O fweet Sir John.

Fal. Miftrefs Ford, I cannot cog, I cannot prate, Mistress Ford: Now fhall I fin in my Wish. I would thy Husband were dead, I'll fpeak it before the best Lord, I would make thee my Lady.

Mrs. Ford. I your Lady, Sir John? Alas, I should be a pitiful Lady.

Fal. Let the Court of France fhew me fuch another; I fee how thine Eye would emulate the Diamond: Thou haft the right arched-beauty of the Brow, that becomes the Ship-Tire, the Tire-Valiant, or any Tire of Venetian Ad

mittance.

Mrs. Ford. A plain Kerchiffe, Sir John:

My Brows become nothing elfe, nor that well neither.

Fal. Thou art a Tyrant to fay fo; thou wouldst make an abfolute Courtier, and the firm fixure of thy Foot would give an excellent Motion to thy Gate, in a femicircled Farthingale. I fee what thou wert, if Fortune thy Foe were not, Nature thy Friend: Come, thou canft not hide it.

Mrs. Ford. Believe me, there's no such thing in me. Fal. What made me love thee? Let that perfuade thee. There's fomething extraordinary in thee. Come, I cannot cog, and fay, thou art this and that, like a many of these

lifping.

lifping Haw-thorn Buds, that come like Women in Mens Apparel, and smell like Bucklers-Berry in fimpling-time: I cannot; but I love thee,' none but thee; and thou deferveft it.

Mrs. Ford. Do not betray me, Sir; I fear you love Mistress Page.

Fal. Thou might'ft as well fay, I love to walk by the Counter-Gate, which is as hateful to me as the reek of a Lime-kiln.

Mrs. Ford. Well, Heav'n knows how I love

fhall one day find it.

Fal. Keep in that Mind; I'll deferve it.

you, and

you

Mrs. Ford. Nay, I muft tell you, fo you do; or elfe I could not be in that Mind.

Rob. [Within.] Mistress Ford, Miftrefs Ford, here's Mistress Page at the Door, fweating, and blowing, and looking wildly, and would needs fpeak with you prefently.

Fal. She fhall not fee me; I will enfconce me behind the Arras.

Mrs. Ford. Pray you do fo; fhe's a very tatling Woman. Enter Miftrefs Page.

What's the matter? How now?

Mrs. Page. O Miftrefs Ford, what have you done? You're fham'd, y'are overthrown, y'are undone for ever. Mrs. Ford. What's the Matter, good Miftrefs Page?

Mrs. Page. O well-a-day, Miftrefs Ford, having an ho neft Man to your Husband, to give him fuch caufe of Sufpicion.

Mrs. Ford. What caufe of Sufpicion?

7

Mrs. Page. What caufe of Sufpicion? Out upon you; how am I miftook in you?

Mrs. Ford. Why, alas! what's the Matter?

Mrs. Page. Your Husband's coming hither, Woman, with all the Officers in Windfor, to fearch for a Gentleman that he fays is here now in the Houfe, by your Confent, to take an ill Advantage of his Abfence. You are undone.

Mrs. Ford. 'Tis not fo, I hope.

Mrs. Page. Pray Heav'n it be not fo, that you have fuch a Man here; but 'tis moft certain your Husband's coming with half Windfor at his Heels, to fearch for fuch a one. VOL. I.

M

come

come before to tell you; if you know your felf clear, why, I am glad of it; but if you have a Friend here, convey, convey him out. Be not amaz'd, call all your Senfes to you, defend your Reputation, or bid farewel to your good Life for ever.

Mrs. Ford. What shall I do? there is a Gentleman, my dear Friend; and I fear not my own Shame fo much as his Peril. I had rather than a thoufand Pound he were out of the House.

Mrs. Page. For fhame, never ftand, you had rather, and you had rather; your Husband's here at hand, bethink you of fome Conveyance; in the House you cannot hide him. Oh, how have you deceiv'd me? Look, here is a Basket, if he be of any reasonable Stature, he may creep in here, and throw foul Linnen upon him, as if it were going to Bucking: Or it is whiting time, fend him by your two Men to Datchet-Mead.

Mrs. Ford. He's too big to go in there: What shall I do? Enter Falstaff.

Fal. Let me fee't, let me fee't, O let me fee't;

I'll in, I'll in; follow your Friend's Counsel; I'll in.

Mrs. Page. What, Sir John Falstaff, are thefe your Letters, Knight?

Fal. I love thee, help me away; let me creep in here: I'll

never

[He gets into the Basket, they cover him with foul Linnen. Mrs. Page. Help to cover your Master, Boy: Call your Men, Mistress Ford. You diffembling Knight.

Mrs. Ford. What, John, Robert, John, go take up thefe Cloaths here, quickly. Where's the Cowl-ftaff? Look how you drumble: Carry them to the Landrefs in Datchet Mcad; quickly, come.

Enter Ford, Page, Caius and Evans.

Ford. Pray you come near; if I fufpect without Cause, Why then make fport at me, then let me be your Jeft, I deferve it. How now? whither bear you this? Serv. To the Landrefs, Forfooth.

Mrs. Ford. Why, what have you to do whither they bear it? You were beft meddle with Buck-washing.

Ford.